Transylvania Quarters
Transylvania Quarters (also called Swenson Quarters) is the home of the wealthy Black family, located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It was mainly used as the base of operations for the Gladiator and the Knights of Plague during the Second Cold War. History Early history Like many other progenitors of noble English families, the mutant Armando Black arrived in Britain with William the Conqueror as part of the invading Norman army. Having rendered unknown, shady, (and almost certainly mutated) services to King William I, Black was given a prime piece of land in Oklahoma, seized from local landowners, upon which his descendants have lived for ten consecutive centuries. Over hundreds of years, they have managed to add to their lands in Oklahoma City by annexing those of neighboring Fobbles, and the favor they curried with royalty added Fobble treasures and works of art to an ever-expanding collection. This expansion ceased when the PROM was passed, in which the Blacks hotly denied any connections with Fobbles to uphold their position of influence in the newly formed U.S. Government under George Washington. In the 16th century, the Swenson family forcibly stole the Manor from the Blacks via invasion. Inheritance In the course of his work, Roger Black visited the elderly mutant Harriet Swenson on many occasions and charmed her with flowers and compliments. After many visits, Swenson brought Black to Swenson Quarters, a mansion that she had inherited from her prestigious ancestor, telling the young man that she hoped he would appreciate his stay in her unique home.She stated that the rooms had considerable powers which she had not fully tested, and detailed the Manor’s historical value. When the time came to leave, Black briefly hesitated and a look of intense hunger washed across his face. Black saw the Manor as rightfully his due to its past connections, and is one of the reasons why he would covet it more. Two days later, Swenson was found dead, and her elderly butler admitted to accidentally poisoning his mistress’ cocoa, mistaking a little known, highly lethal poison for sugar. In reality, however, Black had killed Smith himself and embedded a false memory in the butler to escape detection. Second Cold War In 2034, Monroe and many other Knights of Plague had escaped Beta Prison, and the Dark Lord had made Transylvania Quarters his headquarters. In 2040, Master Intelligence encountered the Gladiator. After calling Red X back, Master Intelligence engaged the Gladiator in a duel. Finally, the opponents' swords locked together and formed Pitial Defilatetum due to the swords’ “twin energizers”. Master Intelligence’s courage overpowered the Gladiator’s destructive will, and Red X escaped from Transylvania Quarters with her Master. In October 2041, Knight of Plague Becca Smith entered the Manor to bring news of how the government was being infiltrated and of the whereabouts of the Orb of Power, respectively. The resulting plans would lead to the deaths of Fredrick Powell and Russell Stewart, and to the injury of Percy. At this meeting, the Gladiator also killed Alicia, the head of the Fobble Revolution, and fed her to his snake Nagatha. In the 2040s, the Manor was used to hold some prisoners of the Gladiator, such as Alicia. Battle In 2042, the Gladiator had his Knights attempt to steal the above mentioned Orb. After three failed attempts, the Gladiator lured Master Intelligence, Lindsay Kellerman, and the rest of the S.M.S.B. there by planting a vision of the U.S.A. being destroyed into her mind. Master Intelligence, Lindsay Kellerman, Sebiscuits Cardarphen, Baby Strength, Force Baby, Telekinibabe, Red X, and Andromeda flew to Transylvania Quarters, where they were confronted by twelve Knights of Plague. Immediately beforehand, the first test of the of the base’s weaponry happened. After gaining the Gladiator’s approval, General George ordered the base to fire on the Old Police Station, utterly destroying the police’s sanctuary and a significant portion of their fleet. In the following battle, the six members of the S.M.S.B. managed to distract their attackers and flee, scattering throughout Transylvania Quarters and combating the Dark mutants who pursued them. In the Death Chamber, the Knights of Plague captured everyone except Lindsay and rounded them up before tying them. As the others struggled, the Gladiator easily pried the Orb from Lindsay Kellerman. The Gladiator then proceeded to reveal the electric bomb the members were after. However, when the Gladiator launched the bomb, but Red X sacrificed herself, causing the bomb to hit her instead. The bomb never got past her torso, but it did cause her death. Meanwhile, Baby Strength freed the others and they resumed the battle but losing one of their own, Andromeda, murdered by her own mother Becca Smith, who pushed her into a shaft. This battle caused considerable damage to Transylvania Quarters, including the loss of many artifacts, and signaled the end of the Knights of Plague. Later history After the Battle of Transylvania, Transylvania Quarters was ultimately given back to the Swenson family, being passed down to Bertha Swenson. Description The gravel driveway to the manor house is wide and has a large hedge curving alongside it. The driveway and hedge go past a pair of wrought-iron gates. These gates permit select individuals (those who make some sort of salute) to pass through them as if they are smoke, and with others the iron contorts into a face which demands the purpose of the person trying to enter the manor. The yew hedge is known to have peacocks roving along the top of it. The Manor Transylvania Quarters is a “handsome manor house” surrounded by elaborate gardens, including a fountain. The front door swings inward at the approach of a person (or perhaps just a select group of people) without anyone visibly opening it. The hallway is large, dimly lit, and sumptuously decorated, with a magnificent carpet covering the stone floor. The walls of the entrance hall display pale-faced portraits lining the walls, and at the end of the hall is the bronze-handled door to the drawing room. Drawing room The drawing room was a widely proportioned room. It had a long ornate table, where the Knights of Plague and the Gladiator sat during their meeting. Also, during the Knight of Plague Meeting, the usual furniture was pushed carelessly up against the walls. The drawing room has a handsome, ornate marble mantelpiece with a gilded mirror which has an intricately scrolled frame on top. Many of the known activities of the Knights of Plague took place in the drawing room, which had dark purple walls with more portraits, and a large crystal chandelier. Cellar Several prisoners had been held in the secret room below the drawing room. According to Bertha Swenson, the family’s collection of Dark artifacts were hidden below ground level in this room so as to prevent any from being seized during government raids, before they were moved to the Hall of Domination. During the Gladiator’s stay in the manor, the function of this room changed to that of a holding cell for any prisoners. This room is completely escape-proof and has no light. Superweapon Apart from several effective applications, the Knights of Plague used it to house a superweapon capable of destroying entire planets. The superweapon consumed an unknown power source via a method which cut off power from the surface. The weapon ran on a type of dark energy called “quintessence”, which was ubiquitous in the universe, and offered a practically unlimited power source to the Knights of Plague. Using an unknown power source, an array of collectors on one side of the base would gather dark energy in stages, redirecting it to the central chamber, where it was held in place by an artificial containment field maintained by the machinery the Gladiator had installed. A colossal hollow cylinder, large enough to dominate the view of the base, penetrated the containment field to a predetermined distance, in order to direct the blast towards its target, and also to absorb its energy, which would otherwise cause catastrophic groundquakes. This design made the weapon vulnerable when it was fully charged, as the destruction of the containment field oscillator the moment before the weapon fired would release the accumulated energy not through the firing cylinder, but throughout the core where it was being held, leading to the gradual collapse of the building into its core. Departments Upper departments Hall of Domination Hundreds of artifacts are stored in this long, cold chamber with high ceilings and towering shelves lit with blue-flame candles. These treasures are protected so that the only people who can lift them off their stand are the Keeper of the Hall of Domination and the S.M.S.B. Anyone else who attempts to inspect the artifact with their hands will be afflicted with instant madness. Alas, during the battle that took place within Transylvania Quarters in 2042, Master Intelligence telekinetically smashed the shelves of artifacts in order to distract the Knights of Plague, and destroyed a great number of treasures in the Hall as a result. = Known artifacts = In the 15th century, Merlin gave the Orb of Power to his final student for safekeeping. After his return, the Gladiator sought to have the Orb for himself and lured Master Intelligence and other members of the S.M.S.B. to the Hall in attempt to steal and confirm the contents of the orb. Due to the incompetency and failures of the Knights of Plague, the orb fell into an abyss amid a commotion that prevented anyone from using it. During the Battle of Transylvania, the Gladiator and Becca Smith destroyed, accidentally, two mutated gems while talking to Master Intelligence. Love Chamber a.k.a. Perpetual Concealment Chamber The Love chamber is a room behind a door that remains locked at all times and which cannot be unlocked by lock picks nor smashed by lightning. According to Bertha, behind the door is the most mysterious subject of study of the department, and the most powerful force ever to exist in the universe — which is known as “Love”. It may also be used in attempts to understand and duplicate the protection self-sacrificing love creates. There is said to be a large fountain of Amortentia in the room. Lower departments Death Chamber This large, square room somewhat resembles Courtroom Ten of the Courts. It is dimly lit, with stone tiers leading down to a pit in the center. In this pit is a dais, upon which stands a very old stone archway with a laser wall along its interior. This arch separates the worlds of the living and the dead. Some people, such as Master Intelligence and Andromeda, heard voices through this veil. Unknown level Space Chamber This is a dark room full of planets floating in mid-air. Presumably, it is from this Chamber where mutants study the aspect of space, as it is one of(along with time). Visitors may find themselves floating as well. Sebiscuits deemed it “a very odd place” and used lightning on the Pluto replica to block an attacking Knight of Plague during the Battle of Transylvania. Time Room This long, rectangular room is filled with a beautiful, dancing light that sparkles like gems. All kinds of time-related devices completely fill the chamber, such as clocks of every description, and two time machines. It also contains a large crystal bell jar at its far end, from which the sparking light comes. Inside it, anything will grow increasingly younger, to its pre-life state, be reborn to grow older, and cycle through endlessly. At the end of the room there is a door that leads into the Hall of Domination. There are also small offices just off the main chamber, in which Baby Strength, Force Baby, Sebiscuits, Telekinibabe, and Red X faced two Knights of Plague during the Battle of Transylvania. During this battle, the department’s entire stock of time machines was smashed. It can be assumed that study in the time room has led to the discovery and creation of the ability to manipulate time. Behind the scenes Transylvania Quarters was created for the upcoming book . The author, D. Isaac Thomas stated that the superweapon’s similarities to the eight NoHead Bases from the original series were intentional, as the new generation of NoHeads within the Knights of Plague would want to prove that they were stronger and more advanced than their predecessors in the Order of the NoHeads. Appearances * * * Category:Oklahoma locations Category:Transylvania Quarters